ImOn Communications eNewsletter


		May 2020


		ImOn and COVID-19 ImOn Communications has always been proud to say we make personal connections with our customers, our colleagues, and our communities. And while we are still all about connections during this pandemic, we have added to our purpose as an essential infrastructure provider: we protect our customers, colleagues, and communities. At ImOn, our policies and processes continue to evolve along with the situation we are all facing together, and we wanted to make sure you know what we're doing to keep you and our employees protected: All employees who work in "the field" (constructing and maintaining our fiber network, installing new service, or servicing existing customers) will fill out a daily health assessment before starting their shift. Based on their answers, ImOn will determine each day whether an employee can fulfill their shift or should be isolated due to symptoms or exposure. All employees who work in the field or must work in the office due to their job function have been provided with appropriate PPE (including masks, gloves, booties, hand sanitizer and wipes, and other as necessary). Strict policies have been developed and communicated regularly about the use of PPE and social distancing. A daily safety communication is sent to all ImOn employees to reiterate policies, provide suggestions, and solicit feedback on what additional resources are needed. Our installation and service technicians are entering homes only as a last resort, and only if they can be assured that proper social distancing will be possible. Our technicians will complete all outside work and then provide instructions and advise customers on how to complete the work in the home wherever possible. Business installs will be assessed and completed only where social distancing is possible. ImOn is limiting access to our building to Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm. While our offices are closed to the public, you can access the building lobby to return equipment during that time. The drop box located outside the building's front door is still available 24/7 for payment drop offs. Remember you can get all of the latest ImOn Covid-19 information on www.Imon.net/Covid19. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions and concerns about ImOn's policies and procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can easily email support@imon.net with your questions and one of our customer care representatives will respond, or you can call 319-298-6484. As always, we appreciate your business and trust in ImOn.


		Happy Mother's Day Happy Mother's Day from all of us at ImOn Communications! NEW ImOn Calendar Photo Contest Join ImOn in celebrating the beauty of Eastern Iowa with our NEW ImOn photo contest and calendar. Help fill the pages of our upcoming 2021 ImOn customer calendar with photos showcasing the beautiful places we serve. We are looking for photos that capture our breathtaking landscapes, area events, holiday fun, and vibrant culture. Prizes will be awarded to the entrants of the winning photographs selected to be in the 2021 ImOn Customer Calendar. For more information and to submit your photos, visit: www.ImOn.net/Calendar. We Honor And Pay Tribute On Memorial Day Memorial Day reminds us to stop and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. The management and employees of ImOn Communications encourage you to remember these fallen soldiers and reflect on their profound contributions to our nation. In observance of Memorial Day, our offices will be closed on Monday, May 25. As always, 24/7 emergency service will still be available by calling 319-298-6484. HBO and Cinemax Free Preview Weekend From Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17, ImOn is offering a FREE preview of all 6 HBO channels and 8 Cinemax channels. Enjoy addictive series, entertaining movies, family favorites, and much more on channels #250-263, 858, and 866. A set top box is required to view this free preview.


		Avocado Art This video shows the work of an artist whose medium is ... food! Watch avocadoes and other fruits be magically transformed.		#StayHomeStayStrong NFL players inspire viewers with peeks into how they're spending time at home and suggestions for how you can do the same.


		Protecting Your Electronics From Lightning According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the United States experiences 22 million lightning strikes each year. These lighting strikes are responsible for several billions of dollars in property damage each year to buildings, communication systems, power lines, and electrical equipment. But there are a few steps you can take to help protect your electronics from lightning strikes. Unplug your Devices: The safest way to protect your devices from power surges is to unplug them before a thunderstorm or when they are not in use. Unfortunately, this may not always be possible. Get a Surge Protector: First off, it is important to know that power strips and surge protectors are two different things. Power strips are just multi-outlet products meant as an extension to a wall outlet. While some of these do come with some sort of circuit breaker in them, they don't offer any more protection from power surges and lightning than plugging something directly into the wall outlet. A surge protector, on the other hand, acts like a shield, blocking excess power from reaching your electronics and offering some level of protection against power spikes. You may also want to look for a surge protector that protects different types of wiring like cable lines, phone cords, and Ethernet cables. Some surge protectors even include a USB port to help protect your phones and tablets while charging. For more things to consider when shopping for surge protectors check out Lifehacker.com and cnet.com. Backup Your Data: While we recommend backing up your files regularly in case of computer crashes or viruses, it could turn into a life saver if your computer or mobile device does get fried by lightning. One option is to use ImOn's TechHome Protect to keep your important memories and files safe. Each month we will share helpful information about various tech topics to help you, our customers, better understand the technology and services you have in your life. Everyone is spending a lot more time at home due to canceled events, closed schools and businesses, and social distancing practices. We wanted to share some tools to help keep you connected and some family active ideas to keep everyone entertained during this extended time at home. And since many of these require the Internet, we have also provided a few tips on how to troubleshoot Wi-Fi issues. Connecting Virtually: Does quarantine and social distancing have you missing your people? If so, here are some handy tools and games to help you connect with your friends and family from a distance. Video Calling Options: Here are just a few of the resources for video chatting with friends, family, or coworkers. Google Hangouts Zoom Skype Facetime (Apple users) Google Duo (Android users) Facebook Messenger House Party (App for Apple/Android users) Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows. Games to Play Together: Just because your practicing social distancing doesn't mean you can't get together and have some virtual fun with your friends and family. Jackbox Games is a collection of trivia games you can play with people online or on the Wii Switch. UNO Online Cards and board games you can pay LIVE online with friends Skribbl.io is a drawing-based guessing game Psych, a free app-only trivia game Scrabble Go, online app where you can virtually play the popular board game Activity Ideas for kids: Are your kids starting to get cabin fever? Do you need to keep them entertained while you work from home? Here a few ideas that are both educational and fun to keep them busy all day long. 75+ Educational Activity Ideas for kids Brain boosting Website, Apps, and Virtual Field Trips The Cincinnati Zoo's daily Facebook Live video features different creatures at the zoo. They also provide educational information and links to activities based on the live videos. The San Diego Zoo shares videos, activities, and games for kids to learn about animals at the zoo. Check out the live webcams from the Georgia Aquarium. Scholastic's free "Learn at Home" website with daily courses for students pre-kindergarten to grade 6. 50+ indoor activities for toddlers 100+ activities and crafts ideas for kids Augmented Reality Game Apps for kids Apps to keep your kids entertained, but also learning Free virtual Hogwarts Escape Room Geocaching ideas 125+ Ideas for kids to avoid cabin fever 87 Energy-busting Games & Activities for Kids Celebrities read books to kids while showing pictures and animations Videos & games centered around PBS Kids TV, Movie, and Streaming Ideas: If you are like many of us, your streaming selections have probably started to grow a little stale. Here are a few suggestions that might offer something new to try. What's new on Netflix What's new on Hulu What's new on Amazon Prime ImOn employee's favorite binge worthy shows. The 50 best kid's movies for family movie night Websites and apps to help you find something new to watc Reading Ideas: If watching TV is not your thing, why not try picking up one of these great reads. Get free ebooks with your Cedar Rapids, Marion, & Hiawatha Library Cards The 100 Books to Read Before You Die Top Book Club Book Lists Must-Read Book Club Picks for 2020 B&N Top 100 Book Bestsellers list 2019-2020 Iowa High School Book Award Nominee Book List (Ages 9-12) 2019-2020 Iowa Teen Award Nominee Book List (Ages 6-9) 2019-2020 Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominee Book List (Ages 3-6) 2019-2020 Iowa Goldfinch Award Nominee Book List (Ages K-3) Celebrities read picture books to kids Podcasts Ideas: The 50 Best Podcasts to Listen to Right Now Stitchers weekly ranking of the most popular podcasts. The Way I Heard It Podcast: Short stories with a twist about pop culture and political figures throughout history. Since many of these recommendations require the use of an Internet connection, we also wanted to share a few tips you can try at home to help improve your Wi-Fi performance. You can also check out our past Tech Talks for more information on things that can negatively impact your Wi-Fi signal and reasons for slow Internet. We hope you found this Tech Talk topic informative and useful. If you have a tech topic you would like to learn more about, just email your ideas, or questions, toTechTalks@ImOn.net and you may see them featured in an upcoming edition of Tech Talks.


		Ideas for Folks 50+ If you've passed the half-century mark, visit this site for tips on health, money, work, and more. Learn more...		Goodreads Like Facebook for bookworms, you can track your books and see what friends are reading. Learn more...		Virtual Travel You may not be able to travel right now, but you can visit this site to take a relaxing virtual vacation. Learn more...


		Strawberry Pineapple Salsa Get ready for summer fun and celebrate National Salsa Month with this easy-to-make fruit salsa.		Best Burger Ever Just in time for summer barbeques, Chef Marcus Meachum shares his secrets for a bacon burger.


		Fallon and Timberlake Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake make the most of their at-home time by creating an at-home song.		Persistent Pup Despite an impressive and valiant effort, this fluffy friend can't quite reach the nibbles she craves.


		Make a Mask at Home Get step-by-step instructions for making three different types of CDC-approved masks, one with no sewing required.		Gardening Hacks Nurture your garden with things from around the house — ice cream cones, egg cartons, milk, and even rusty nails.


		How To Reduce The Amount Of Spam In Your Inbox Spam messages account for more than half of email traffic worldwide. Short of cutting yourself off from the internet, there's no way to eliminate spam entirely. But there are steps you can take to reduce how much of it you see: Train your filter. When you find spam in your inbox, don't just delete it. Instead, select it and tell your email client that this message is spam. How you do this depends on your email client, but you can find instructions for the popular programs by clicking here. Never respond to spam. If you recognize something as spam before you open it, don't open it. If you open it and then realize it's spam, close it. Do not click a link or a button, or download a file, from a message that you even remotely suspect is spam. If you opened a spam message because it appeared to be coming from a friend or co-worker, contact them immediately and let them know that their account has been compromised. If you opened a spam message because it appeared to be coming from a friend or co-worker, contact them immediately and let them know that their account has been compromised. Hide your email address. The more people who have your email address, the more spam you're going to get. So, keep your address close to your chest. Don't publish it on the web unless absolutely necessary and use a different address for that purpose. Remember to Call 811 Before You Dig Don't forget to call 811 before starting your spring yard projects! Whether you are planting a bush or installing a fence, digging without knowing the location of underground utility lines can be dangerous. In some cases, these lines are buried close to the surface and even shallow digging could cause damage. Make sure to call 8-1-1 at least a few days before you start any digging project. Simply tell the operator where you are planning to dig and what type of work you will be doing. Local utilities will then come out and mark the existing underground utility lines with either spray paint or flags.

ImOn Communications · 101 3rd Avenue SW, Suite 400 · Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

319-298-6484

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